India ready to lead to end Ukraine war: PM to Scholz

New Delhi: India has been pressing for resolving the Ukraine "dispute" through dialogue and diplomacy and is ready to contribute to any peace process, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday after holding talks with visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who favoured a "clear stand" in the UN on the issue.

The one-year-old conflict and its consequences including on food and energy security figured in the Modi-Scholz dialogue besides ways to ramp up overall bilateral engagement including in areas of trade and investment, new technologies and climate change. In his statement at a joint press event with Modi, the German Chancellor described the Russian "aggression" against UKraine as a "major catastrophe" that has negatively impacted the globe and said it is important to state "very clearly where we stand on this subject" including at the UN as international law governs international relations.

On Thursday, India abstained in the UN General Assembly on a resolution that underscored the need to reach "comprehensive, just and lasting peace" in Ukraine and called for Russia to end the hostilities. "Since the beginning of the developments in Ukraine, India has insisted on resolving this dispute through dialogue and diplomacy.

India is ready to contribute to any peace process," Modi said in his media statement.

The Prime Minister also said that there has been active cooperation between India and Germany in the fight against terrorism and separatism and countries agreed that concerted action is necessary to end cross-border terrorism, seen as an apparent reference to Pakistan.